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Showing posts from October, 2024
Calling all recipients of our quarterly newsletter! Before you all get in touch, we know there is a mistake in the October version.  Not a serious one really, but galling.  Read on. We've been having problems with our email system so we're a few days late sending the newsletter.  Our web expert managed to sort things out so - hurray - we were able to send it. Clang!  The draft version of the newsletter contained a mistake.  We spotted it, we did really.  And corrected it.  Then the un-corrected version got attached to the email by mistake.  Expletive deleted. If you're wondering what the error is, the title of our booklet about the Manx triskelion, Three Legs Good , is a nod to George Orwell's Animal Farm (obviously!) and not 1984 as the newsletter states. Sorry everyone. (On the other hand, if you enjoy finding mistakes, then this one is for you...!)
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OK, it's not the most brilliant picture in the world, but this was the view from the office window last Saturday night. I was working late and saw a HUGE fire on the other side of the valley - bear in mind this is at least a mile away.  I knew there was a farmhouse over there and the fire was easily house sized, although in the dark I couldn't see what was actually burning.  I rang the fire brigade. I don't ring 999 very often. Most of the Manx firefighters are volunteers, as the island isn't big enough to support several crews of full-time firefighters.  Even so, two engines from Ramsey arrived remarkably quickly.  We watched them speed up to the fire, lights flashing. Then we watched them turn round and go away again.  (Oh dear.) It turns out that the farmer was burning rubbish in one of his fields, had people on hand supervising, and everything was under control. My call out was what they term 'a false alarm but with good intent'.  The fire service was kind a